Tamil Nadu Assembly mandates state song at start of government functions

The Tamil Nadu Assembly has unanimously adopted a resolution requiring the state song, ‘Tamil Thai Vazhthu’, to be performed at the beginning of all government functions. The resolution, introduced by Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay, mandates the song be played first at events organized by government departments, public sector undertakings, universities, and educational institutions.

Chief Minister Vijay stated that the move is a matter of linguistic and cultural rights, asserting that the song represents the identity of the Tamil people and does not violate the Constitution. The resolution received bipartisan support from both the DMK and AIADMK. This legislative action follows recent tensions regarding the order of national and state songs, specifically after Union Home Ministry directives regarding the sequence of the national song and national anthem.

Historically, the song was made mandatory for government functions in 1970 and was formally designated as the official state song in 2021. The song was originally written by Professor P Sundaram Pillai in 1891.